Clippers' Paul George on hot start to season: 'I'm coming back with vengeance'

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is putting together an MVP-caliber season, and he's doing it with a chip on his shoulder. 

Following a 138-100 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday, George admitted that last year's early playoff exit fueled him to begin the 2021 season with fire. George said, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk:

"I'm coming back with vengeance. I didn't like, not so much of the noise and everything around [the way last season ended], but just the fact that people saw weakness. And I had to address that. I had to answer that. That fueled me. That put me in a place where I wanted to come back and be myself again."

The Clippers collapsed in the playoffs last season, blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round. George and Kawhi Leonard were essentially invisible during that series, leading to the team's demise. 

This season has been far different for George, who notched 26 points, four rebounds and two assists in Friday's win. The 30-year-old is averaging 25.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 50.3% from the field and 51.5% from deep — far better than his 2019-20 numbers.

Similarly, Leonard is averaging 25 points, 4.9 rebounds and six assists per game while shooting 48.3% from the field and 43.1% from beyond the arc. 

The Clippers own the Western Conference's second-best record at 9-4. If George continues to have a solid season, they could eventually leapfrog the Lakers for first place in the West.